Multiple cell flotation apparatus including recycling means



April 22, 1947. s. E. MEYER 7 2,419,497

MULTIPLE CELL FLOTATION APPARATUS INCLUDING RECYCLING MEANS Filed Oct.50, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1 g Q k 5 Q E fi 3' g E 0. 5

U) k 0 J5 a Iih/entor J i g S rzm/m f/Vsyze q T v "l E 4 g w: 5 y 2 3m2) Attorneys April 22, 1947. s. E. MEYER MULTIPLE CELL FLOTATIONAPPARATUS INCLUDING RECYCLING MEANS 2 Sheets-Shet 2 Filed Oct. 50, 1943ETIII'QE; ."IZLZiIIIII:

Inventor 5 TEPA/[A/ Maw 2 2AM and y WW 16% e]:

Patented Apr. 22, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MULTIPLE CELLFLOTATION APPARATUS INCLUDING RECYCLING MEANS 2 Claims.

This invention is an improvement on the subject matter of my formerpatent application Serial No. 369,485, filed December 10, 1940, andrelates to new and useful improvements in flotation method and apparatusfor recovering minerals such as gold, silver, and copper from theirores.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a flotationsystem wherein the finished high-grade concentrates are returned in partto the original feed head in a manner to build up therein an artificialhigher head whereby a much higher grade concentrate is obtained withoutresort to certain operations now required to be performed following theflotation operations, to obtain suificiently high-grade concentrate.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent tothe reader of the following specification.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 represents a diagrammatic View disclosing the variousconnections between the units involved,

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through one of the machineswhich forms the .July so, 1929,

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially on line 3-3of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken substantially on line l-4 of Figure3.

Referring to the drawings wherein like numerals designate like parts, itcan be seen that Figures 2, 3 and 4 are representative of the subjectmatter of my patent No. 1,722,705, issued July 30, 1929. These patentedflotation machines are used in the system of the present invention andare denoted generally by reference characters A, B and C. The machineidentified as the cleaner in Figure 1 and generally referred to by theletter D is of like construction. Each of the machines A, B, C and Dconsists of a casing including a bottom 5, ides 8 and end walls 1 and 8.A partition 3 forms with the end wall I and has an entrance H! for feed.A partition 1 l forms with the end wall 8 and has an exit i2.Longitudinally extending walls I l are disposed between partitions 9 andH for forming an aerator space therebetween. The aerator is supported onlegs It rising from the bottom 5. Numeral 2!] denotes a main air headermanifold which has air pipes 25 rising therefrom A closed casing 24forms part of the aerator and has a plurality of slots 38 in the lowerportion thereof.

A screen 36 extends across the upper edges of the walls 54 and casing 24extends through openings therein. Pipes ll extend upwardly from thebottom of the casing 2 3 through the top thereof and have caps llclosing the upper ends of the pipes 17. The pipes 25 extend u throughthe bottom of the casing 24 and terminate interiorly of the pipe i'ladjacent the top of the casing 24. Walls 33 extend between partitions 9and II in parallel spaced relation, being spaced farther apart thanwalls id and being disposed above the walls l4. These walls formfroth-retarders. An overflow gate 35 ismounted in the guide 2 on theside wall 6 between end wall 8 and partition II. This gate may beadjusted vertically to properly adjust the feed level of the machine.Numeral 30' denotes the slots in the lower ends of the pipes I1. Numeralill denotes a control valve in the air header. An outlet 43 is providedin the lower portion of the end wall 8 for the tailingsfrom the machine,the usual launder trough M being provided on the outer sides of the sidewall 6, and said side walls 6 are provided with openings 45 leading intothe launder troughs 44.

In carrying out the present invention utilizing the patented machineabove briefly described, it can be seen that numeral denotes a pump sumpto which extends the feed line or feed head 5!. In communication withthe sump 50 is a pump 52 driven by an electric motor 53. From the pump52 extends a conduit 54 to a distributing tub 55. From the tub 55conduits 56, 51 and 58 extend to the machines A, B and C. In this mannerfeed is made to the machines A, B and C. From the machine pipes 59, '60and BI extend and connect to a common pipe 62 for the carrying oil oftails.

As can be seen in Figure 1, pipes 63 communicate the launders of thedifferent flotation machines, the machine C having a portion of each ofits launders E4 partitioned off, as at 64, to define the small launderareas 65 from which concentrates are removed by way of the pipes 66 andt7 and lead to the cleaner machine D. In this machine, which isconstructed in accordance with the subject matter of my patent No.1,722,- 705, issued July 30, 1929, the concentrate is removed from thelaunders 14 thereof and lead to a suitable receiver by way of conduits68. Cleaner tails from the machine D pass through conduits 69 to a sumpEll.

The pipes 63 communicating the launders and the outside launders 4 ofthe end machines A and C are connected by return pipes Ill, H, 12 and 13to the pump sump 50.

anions? In accordance with the present invention, most of the finishedconcentrate is conveyed to the pump sump to form and maintain therein anartificially higher head. The amount of finished concentrate returned tothe sump depends upon the grade of concentrate desired, and a skilledattendant will readily regulate this amount until the desired artificialhigher head has been obtained and the desired grade of concentrate isproduced. The remaining smaller fraction of finished, high-gradeconcentrate is discharged from the machine C by way of the pipes 66 and61 which form the only outlet of the system. In

this manner a higher finished grade concentrate is obtained withoutresort to the additional operations and machines now necessary to obtainordinary high-grade concentrate.

As can be seen in Figure 1, the concentrate lead-off pipe 68 has abranch 68a which returns some of the concentrate from the cleaner cellto the pump sump 56, There is a marked advantage in returning apercentage of the concentrate to the pump sump. A drier cake from thefilter plant results. This is because the flow eliminates r materialsmaybe resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention as claimed hereinafter.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. In a flotation apparatus of the character described, the combinationof a plurality of at' least three flotation machines, each havinglaunders and a feed entrance and a tailings exit,

a first one of said flotation machines having each of its laundersdivided into two compartments, a sump, a froth feed head discharginginto said sump, a distributing tub, means for pumping the froth fromsaid sump to said distributing tub, means to convey the froth from saidtub to the entrances of all but a second one of said flotation machines,means to convey concentrate from the launders of a third one of saidmachines and from corresponding launder compartments of the first onethereof to said sump, means to convey concentrate from the other.launder comartments of the first one of said machines to the feedentrance of the second one of said machines, means to convey tailingsfrom the exit of the second one of said machines to the sump, means toconvey the tailings from the exits of the first and third machines awayfrom the apparatus, and means to convey concentrate from the launders ofthe second machine away from the apparatus.

2. In a flotation apparatus of the character described, the combinationof a plurality of at least three flotation machines, each havinglaunders and a feed entrance and a tailing exit, a first one of saidflotation machines having each of its launders divided into twocompartments, a sump, a froth feed head discharging into said sump, adistributing tub, means for pumping the froth from said sump to saiddistributing tub, means to convey the froth from said tub to theentrances of all but a second one of said flotation machines, means toconvey concentrate from the launders of a third one of said machines andfrom corresponding launder compartments'of the first one thereof to saidsump, means to convey concentrate from the other launder compartments ofthe first one of said machines to the feed entrance of the second one ofsaid machines, means to convey tailings from the exit of the second oneof said machines to the sump, means to convey the tailings from theexits of the first and third machines away from the apparatus, and meansto convey part of the concentrate from the launders of the secondmachine away from the apparatus and part thereof to the sump.

STEPHEN E. MEYER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

Denver Equipment Index, Denver Equipt. Co., Den., 001., 1936, pp. 108,109.

